I’m almost certain my cat has Giardia. And my dog has just eaten her poo.

[JMSA]

Hi. We got a rescue cat 3 weeks ago. She’s lovely but it has been a bit of a nightmare. She had Giardia when handed over to the shelter and was treated for it. However since coming to us, I’m certain it has come back (if it even ever went away) as she has chronic diarrhoea. I will get this sorted as soon as the vet opens tomorrow. I’ve been trying to manage it the best I can, but my dog ate one of her poos today. He has never done anything like this before, so totally unexpected. He’s 10 years old but very robust and healthy. However I’m terrified he’s going to become ill. I believe Giardia can cross species.
Please can anyone help or reassure.
Thank you.

Speak to your vet and get treatment for your dog if your cat does have giardia.

We got kittens in September that had Giardia and my dog kept getting caught with her head in the litter box. I asked the vet about getting treatment for my dog too and told him that she had been feasting out the littler tray, he said it’s unlikely to cross across species as they get different strains. The kittens weren’t yet registered at our normal vet, the symptoms came up in the first few days of having them home, so I checked with the vet’s my dog is registered at and they said the same but offered to test her for it if I brought in a sample so I took one in, paid for the test, and 2 hours later found out she was in the clear! The kittens got their meds and the diarrhoea cleared up within a day and they were perfectly well again by the end of the week. I hope your cat is well again soon x